A proposal for expanding student substance abuse treatment services in middle and high schools is working its way through the state legislature. Under , a new committee in the Department of Education would be tasked with developing a system for identifying and addressing substance misuse that could be used by schools across the state.
The bill was approved by the House Public and Behavioral Health and Human Services Committee on Wednesday and is sponsored by two Democrats, Representative Mandy Lindsay and Senate Majority Leader Dominick Moreno. It now moves to the House Appropriations Committee for fiscal review.
鈥淲e are seeing rising levels of kids using substances for a variety of reasons,鈥� said Lindsay. 鈥淲e as legislators, and as parents, or anybody in our society, we need to listen and say, 鈥榃e hear you, and let's help you get what you need.'鈥�
According to the bill, the Secondary School Substance Use Committee would develop a system for schools to implement. The program would identify students who need substance use treatment, offer a brief intervention, and refer the student to substance use treatment services.
鈥淚 have teenagers now,鈥� said Lindsay. 鈥淎nd quite frankly, they spend more of their waking hours at school with teachers and coaches and administrators than they do with me. So it's quite understandable that they would pick up on something happening with my students that I wouldn't see, and I welcome that.鈥�
The bill also says creating a uniform system for schools will help make sure substance abuse treatment is equitable.
The Education Committee approved the bill along party lines, by a 7-4 vote, with Republican representatives voting against it. They cited concerns about the lack of parent and law enforcement involvement and the possible limitations of a uniform system put together by the state.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e still not talking about parents. You鈥檙e still not talking about law enforcement,鈥� said Douglas County Republican Representative Anthony Hartsook at the committee hearing on Wednesday. 鈥淲hy drive it from the top? Why not let the school districts decide what works best?鈥�
Members of the Colorado Youth Advisory Council (COYAC) also helped craft the bill. COYAC advises the state legislature on issues impacting Colorado鈥檚 young people, and is composed of 40 youth members from across the state.
Siddarth Nareddy, a COYAC representative focusing on mental health and a junior in high school, said parents would have a say. The bill includes mandatory parent representation on the Secondary School Substance Use Committee. The Committee would also release an annual report, which would help schools can decide if they want to change their approach.
"Something people don't realize is how much substance use plays into mental health and other issues young people face," said Nareddy. "It's abuse is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, public health issue for youth."
He also says this bill would help kids suffering from substance misuse who are not reached by existing efforts that focus on substance abuse prevention.
